


Rise of the Shadow Empire

by Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: F/F, burning friendship, rosali
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 10:31:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6980689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas/pseuds/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose and Alisha band together when they uncover a plot, that could jeopardize the newly formed peace between Hyland and Rolance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rise of the Shadow Empire

The schedule of a princess was a busy one, even for a royal (rumored) bastard last in line from inheriting the throne. However, Alisha always ensured she had time to see her instructor, Lady Maltran.  
  
Lady Maltran had been her mentor and guide for so long, Alisha could barely remember the time when she wasn’t part of her life. With her mother staying away from royal matters, Alisha had started seeing her less and less. During those tough times, Maltran supported her, not just as a teacher, but in a more personal capacity. In the process Alisha had started to see her as more than just her instructor. To Alisha, she had felt like her mother for many years.  
  
Despite her position as a princess, Alisha enjoyed activities royalty normally disdained. Every noble living in her district knew when she was training: live steel clashing together, followed by the surprised grunts of Maltran’s colleagues. Practice weapons rattling hapless dummies. The forceful exhalation of breath rising into battle cries as she exerted tremendous effort in perfecting the moves Maltran had personally demonstrated to her.  
  
The sounds were first met with scandalized complaints, followed by exasperated, weak attempts at shaming Alisha into silence and stillness. Now wood snapping, metal clanging, and yelling coming from Diphda Manor was routine for Alisha’s neighbors. The training dummies set in the yard had to be replaced on a weekly basis as Alisha eagerly honed the skills she learned from the one of best soldiers in Hyland. She held more pride in her position as the Blue Valkyrie’s apprentice than she ever felt for the blue blood running in her veins.  
  
“ _This will surely leave Lady Maltran speechless.”_ Alisha wiped her forehead clean from the beads of sweat that had gathered on it, as she had been pummeling the training dummy for few hours now. The wooden parts appeared to have cracks, largest ones right around the chest area.  
  
Alisha could still remember how anxious she was to wield a spear of her own, wanting to copy her mentor in not just style, but choice of weapon as well. However, Maltran surprised Alisha’s somewhat naive expectations of the war veteran by first teaching about the basics of fitness, hand-to-hand combat, gauging an enemy’s status, weapon maintenance, and more. She even handled Alisha’s academic studies, emphasizing a good soldier’s disciplined approach to every subject. Alisha read many theoretical texts and historical contexts of war, lifted weights and repeatedly ran the entire castle grounds, and polished a lot of swords, shields, and pauldrons before getting to throw on a knight’s uniform and swing around her first blade.  
  
“Lady Alisha, Lady Maltran is here to see you,” a cheerful voice woke up Alisha from her focused state of mind. The maid next to her had a platter on her hands, with freshly-squeezed orange juice and crushed ice in crystalware. After pouring some juice in one of the tall, etched glasses, she extended it to Alisha.  
  
“Thank you for informing me,” Alisha smiled back at the maid, grabbing the drink from her. Alisha knew the importance of keeping oneself hydrated, remembering how Maltran had taught her that soldier fought with their weapons, but the weapons were swung by their stomachs. A hungry stomach or dry mouth could just as easily leave a soldier vulnerable as a broken piece of equipment or miscalculated formation.  
  
“I see that you haven’t been slacking off while I was gone,” A sophisticated voice came from behind Alisha. The princess didn’t have to turn to know who it was, as the voice was more than familiar to her.  
  
Dressed up in a tailored blue jacket, crisp white blouse, and customized gauntlets and greaves, Maltran could easily pass for royalty with her regal poise and appearance.  
  
“N-no, Lady Maltran. In fact, I’ve been busy practicing a new technique. I’m not sure if it’s actually going to be an useful one, but I think it has some potential, at least on paper,” Alisha explained passionately, ignoring her sweating as she focused her attention now solely on Maltran.  
  
Lady Maltran let out an amused laugh as she looked at her pupil, who wanted so badly to prove herself to her. “I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait for another time, Alisha. I’m on a rather tight schedule right now and what I have in my mind today doesn’t involve combat training,” Maltran explained as she handed Alisha a handkerchief from her pocket.  
  
Cleaning up herself from most of the sweat gathered on her forehead, Alisha nodded back at Maltran. Her technique could wait for another, better time than this. “Of course, Lady Maltran. Let us go inside.”  
  
*  
  
Even though Alisha’s mansion was relatively small in comparison to rest of the royal houses in Ladylake, it was still big enough to have several rooms dedicated to specific purposes. The room in which Alisha and Maltran were now, was one that was mostly used for meetings, but given how Alisha didn’t have that many visitors, it was often left untouched.  
  
“What are you going to teach me today Lady Maltran? If it’s about national history, I just happened to finish this fascinating book that—”  
  
“No, that’s not the topic I have in mind for us today, Alisha,” Maltran interrupted, gesturing Alisha to be quiet as she searched for something from the dusty bookshelves. “Today we’re going to talk about something that’s more relevant to you than history or combat. Something that you will most certainly have to get accustomed to, whatever you like it or not.” Maltran turned to face the puzzled-looking princess, now with a large book in her hands.  
  
“Politics.”  
  
“Politics…?” Alisha tilted her head a bit to the side while settling in a chair.  
  
Lady Maltran was many things, if half the stories about her were true; however, hearing her mention politics confused Alisha. Maltran was a knight and military advisor, and in Alisha’s mind it meant she knew about martial tactics on the battlefield.  The more Alisha contemplated that one word she shied away from— _politics_ —the more sense it made. A military advisor knew the ins and outs of wars—meaning they knew what lead to them and how to prevent them as well. “ _As expected of such a talent woman_ ,” Alisha mused.  
  
“Yes. You see, a good soldier knows how to fight, Alisha, but a better soldier knows that when they pick up their weapon, they’ve already wasted the most valuable option one has.”  
  
“And that is…?” Alisha asked with a curious look on her face.  
  
“Negotiation. There’s nothing in this world that one can’t achieve with carefully chosen words, Alisha. Think about it,” Maltran indicated Alisha should stand. When Alisha was on her feet, she continued: “Let’s imagine a scenario. You’re walking in a royal palace and a thief has sneaked up in there. The thief confronts you and points you with their dagger. How do you react?”  
  
“Well…,” Alisha pondered for a moment, gently tapping her chin with her index finger while doing so. “I’d...I’d ask the person to stand down and surrender.”  
  
“That’s good, yet is that _everything_ you’d do? Remember, Alisha, this could be your life that’s at stake here, if you’re not careful enough.”  
  
Alisha closed her eyes as she tried to visualize the scene Maltran described to her. The thief was clearly on the edge, one wrong step and she could be severely injured or worse. “I’d try to calm them down, but I wouldn’t move back. I’d have one of my hands relatively close to my back, in case they’d try to attack me.”  
  
“And why would you do that?”  
  
“Because that’s where I keep _my_ dagger. I need to be able defend myself, just in case he tries to attack me.”  
  
“Compelling, Alisha. What if you had your hands up? That way, the thief would know you aren’t going to try to attack them. It’s a royal palace after all, surely there are guards nearby. You only have to buy some time.”  
  
“Yes, that’s true, but I’m confident in my ability to defend myself. After all, I’ve been trained by you, Lady Maltran.”  
  
Maltran couldn’t help smiling at Alisha’s flattering answer. “So you’d take the neutral approach, then. You’re not yielding yourself to their mercy, but you’re not going to attack them either. You’re ready and prepared for both outcomes,” Maltran paused for a dramatic effect. “That’s a very good answer, Alisha,” Maltran said proudly as she put her hand on Alisha’s shoulder.  
  
Hearing her advisor praise her made Alisha happier than any royal meal ever could. She didn’t know if her answer was the one Maltran had hoped for, yet it seemed to be sufficient for her.  
  
“Thank you, Lady Maltran.”  
  
“Now you might be wondering, what does that scenario have to do with politics? The answer is, that politics is in many ways like having that sort of scenario on daily basis.”  
  
“Politics and death aren’t really connected are they? If I ever inherit the throne, I just want the good of my people,” Alisha said as she sat back down.  
  
“They’re more connected than you realize. When you’re dealing with political matters, you make choices that will determine the future of your citizens, Alisha. If you raise taxes, someone might starve to death or commit a crime to pay those taxes or avoid said starvation. If you make a council member feel threatened, they might plot to remove you. What I ultimately mean by all of this, is that you need to be vigilant, Alisha,” Maltran gazed into Alisha’s eyes.  
  
Very rarely had Alisha seen her this serious. Maltran wanted her to take this lesson into her heart.  
  
“Because the world out there is cruel and unforgiving. You need to learn about people, learn how to talk and reason with them, no matter who they are. It doesn’t matter if they’re a civilian or a soldier, a noble or a commoner. Your actions and decisions will shape this country, Alisha. I am here for you, but there will be time when I won’t be here to hold your hand and then it’s all left up for you. Make sure that people who you ally yourself with are ones who are there for you and not there just to gain from you. Understood?”  
  
Maltran took a deep breath as she stared at Alisha, her hands still on Alisha’s shoulders to make sure she focused her attention solely on her.  
  
“Y-yes Lady Maltran. I understand what you meant by all of that,” Alisha replied after a moment, breaking the tension with her bright smile before sitting back down.  
  
“Good,” Maltran bent over a bit, putting the book she was holding now onto Alisha’s lap. “By tomorrow, you have read the first three chapters. Understood?”  
  
“Yes Lady Maltran, I’ll get right into it.”  
  
“Good, I will see you tomorrow then.”  
  
*  
  
The moment Alisha opened up her eyes, she realized that everything she had just seen was a memory of her past in form of a dream. Despite it all taking place many years into the past, Alisha still remembered that specific lesson very clearly.  
  
“Lady Alisha, are you awake yet? There’s someone here to see you,” came voice of a servant behind a door leading to Alisha’s bedroom.  
  
“Thank you. Did they give you their name?” Alisha asked after hopping out of her bed, stretching and yawning herself awake.  
  
“Yes, she said that you know her. After insisting to know her name however, she told it to be Rose.”  
  
Alisha’s lips curled up into a smile on their own from just hearing Rose’s name. The two had more than their fair share of issues from the start, but it didn’t take them long to become very close. With Alisha finally knowing what she wanted out of her life, Rose had quickly become her closest friend, one who she knew would always be there for her, no matter what. As someone who had been betrayed by the one person she had trusted the most, Rose’s place in Alisha’s heart had only grown, with her soon becoming irreplaceable.  
  
“Tell her that I will be down there in a few minutes,” Alisha happily replied.  
  
Staying true to her words, Alisha dressed quickly and headed downstairs to meet with her guest. Deciding to go with an attire that was both fit given the warm weather and nostalgic at same time, Alisha had put on the same formal dress she had on her when she during her and Rose’s latest journey together. The blue corset and bolero, a white skirt and gloves and black stockings made for a rather impressive sight. It was a look that Alisha had grown to like quite a bit, especially since she had a matching hat to go with it.  
  
“Looks like our princess has finally decided to grace us with her presence,” Rose snickered, dropping into a curtsy while watching Alisha make her way to the ground floor. In her new role as the Shepherd, Rose chose to stick to her old style: a red tunic and black jacket with skilled repair work, white pants that somehow remained unstained, worn leather boots and belts. Her attire wasn’t as flashy as Sorey’s pure white superhero cape, but this was how she handled being the Shepherd: Rose was Rose, as Sorey had declared.  
  
“I would have been awake earlier if I knew you’d be visiting me, Rose,” Alisha said, dismissing Rose’s joke with a shake of her head. In the past she would have taken offence in something like that, but now their constant back-and-forth bickering was just another way for them to communicate.  
  
“I know, I know,” Rose nodded, knowing that Alisha liked it when things were at order. “It’s not like I planned to come to see you on such short notice, let alone without notifying you, but it’s important.” Rose rested her hands on her hips.  
  
Alisha raised an eyebrow at Rose as she tried to understand what she was hinting at. “Um...does that mean something urgent has happened since?”  
  
“Yep, ’fraid so. I don’t have much to go with just yet, but I couldn’t just keep what I’ve found to myself,” Rose answered. “Do you have a room here where we could talk? Just you and me. No like, open windows or anything.”  
  
Alisha was startled by Rose’s request. Given the serious look she had on her face, Alisha knew that whatever Rose had on her mind was clearly important.  
  
“Yes, there’s a room which doesn’t have windows and is mostly soundproof too. Follow me.” Alisha waved for Rose to follow her as she headed towards the described meeting room.  
  
Closing the door behind her, Alisha turned to face Rose. “So, if you’re not here to see me, what brings you here then?”  
  
Rose laughed for a short while, not sure if this was Alisha’s awkward attempt at trying to flirt with her, or just Alisha being her formal self. “Well I mean sure it’s nice to see you and all that, but that’s not why I’m here now this time around,” Rose dug up something from her pocket. Opening it up, she revealed it to be a map.  
  
“You came here to show me a map?” Alisha looked at Rose with a deadpan look on her face.  
  
Shaking her head, Rose snapped her fingers to get Alisha’s attention back onto the map rather than on her. “It’s just part of it. Hear me out,” Rose spread out the map on the nearby table.  
  
“Me and the rest of the Scattered Bones were searching ruins around Ladylake few days back. We had heard that there’d some treasures there so we did decided to give it a go. We thought that if we’d to find something, we’d give them to you and naturally get a finder’s fee or something like that ya know? But...we did find _something_. Just not what we really wanted.”  
  
“Go on,” Alisha prompted.  
  
“Well, for starters, someone beat us to it. All the treasure supposed to be there was gone. Whoever it was though, they weren’t really good at their job. They left some coins, and some really, REALLY clear shoe prints. Some of those guys had tiny feet.” Rose lets herself drift for a moment, her eyes full of a daydream of delicate-footed, burly-bodied rogues. “Ooh, or maybe female rivals. That’d be new.”  
  
“Okay, sure, that could have just been any looters. Maybe they got lucky. Doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen, someone beating our information network. Risky, ’most always illegal as balls, but good money.” Rose shrugged. She didn’t keep that secret from Alisha, yet she never spoke specifically of her crimes either. “I get a lot of praise-slash-flak for being a girl thief, but what if a new guild of girls…wouldn’t that be something, huh!”  
  
“Where did that even—Rose, you said that there was something more to it than that?” Alisha insisted, guiding Rose back on track.  
  
“Oh right, sorry. Well, you see, they had these instructions where to meet up and such with them. We found a piece of paper there, when we did some scavenging in hopes of finding something worthwhile. Or at least some clues as to who these new losers on the block are.”  
  
“Do you have it with you?” Alisha quickly asked before Rose would get a chance to continue.  
  
“Yeah, I mean I’m not an idiot after all,” Rose snickered as she searched her pockets, soon pulling out a piece of paper that was a bit smaller than the map.  
  
Alisha grabbed the paper and tried to read it. The letters were drawn perfectly well; however, none of the letters amounted to any combination of words she understood.  
  
“Oh, my bad. It’s ciphered, but Eguille managed to crack it. Turn it over, it’s on the back,” Rose flicked her finger, mimicking the motion Alisha made with the paper.  
  
The princess read it out loud slowly. “Carry all you can, then head to the channels. Get there by the 8th. We have our people in the guards, but they can’t guarantee that duty will be assigned to them when we arrive. If you can’t make it, hide the loot at the promised place and come to the channels. More orders will be there."  Alisha sat down in stunned silence. “The channels…”  
  
“I assume that they mean the aqueducts. Not sure about the promised place, but I’m sure we’ll figure that out as we go along. We know where the bad guys will be, so now we can catch ’em red-handed.” Rose smiled as she patted Alisha on her shoulder.  
  
“I need to thoroughly inspect every single guard. Donning the Hyland coat of arms is a promise to serve and protect the citizens of this nation.” Alisha clenched her fist and raised it to her chest.  
  
“Well I hate to inform you, but sometimes people are just like that. You’re bound to have few rotten apples in your basket, so don’t take it too personally.” Rose shrugged.  
  
“You’re correct, yet it still doesn’t mean that I’m going to allow these acts to continue. You were right to bring this information to me. I will make sure these thieves are brought to justice.”  
  
“Yeah, they’ll be brought to justice, all right. Because we’re the ones who’ll go and kick their asses!” Rose grinned.  
  
“Excuse me?” Alisha gasped. “You are _the Shepherd_ now, Rose. Even if you’re not siding with or against one nation or another, the Shepherd _must_ remain neutral and distanced from worldly affairs—you have more pressing matters at hand. This is an internal issue, I should deal with this personally, and I will _not_ see you hurt from unnecessary risks.” Despite her impassioned defense, Alisha could tell Rose had already made up her mind.  
  
“Hey, I was there when Sorey took down Heldalf. You really think some bandits have a chance against someone like me? Gimme a break,” Rose swirled her way behind Alisha, her hands finding a resting place behind her shoulders as she needed to persuade Alisha a bit further for things to go her way. “And besides, we’re friends, right? Or were those crocodile tears back at those ruins, huh?” Rose put on her best puppy-dog eyes as she tried to imitate Alisha’s crying face.  
  
“N-no, don’t be silly, Rose,” Alisha sneered as she gently pushed Rose away from her. With a heavy sigh, Alisha stood up, lifting up her hanging head to meet up with Rose’s cheerful smirk. “I suppose there’s no point in arguing with you since you’ve already made your decision. I do appreciate all of your assistance. With your help, I’m sure we will be able to apprehend these criminals and bring them to justice.”  
  
“That is, if they’re willing to surrender.” Rose added.  
  
“Well...let’s hope that they’re sensible people, despite their criminal tendencies.”  
  
“You never know. They’re desperate enough to commit a crime against the crown, so it’s not that far-fetched to assume that they’re willing to fight as well,” Rose glanced at Alisha. The usual confident smile was gone, now replaced by more stern and serious look. Alisha knew that despite both of them having faced a lot more dangerous foes, being too cocky could easily lead to a fatal mistake.  
  
“You’re right. Let us hurry, so they won’t get away.”  
  
*  
  
Ladylake’s aqueduct was a place that Alisha wasn’t particularly fond of. It wasn’t only because these days the whole system was overrun by hellions, but also because the entire area was slippery to boot.  
  
“You know, Alisha, not taking any guards with you was a pretty clever move, now that I think about it,” Rose commented as she hopped over a gap. Gazing down at the raging stream of water she had just jumped over, dreaded images filled Rose’s mind of what would happen to anyone who’d fall down and be taken by the rapidly flowing current.  
  
“They all seem trustworthy…but now you have provided evidence that someone is a traitor to the good name of my kingdom. I do not have the time to launch a proper investigation into this information. Therefore, many knights, including my guardians themselves, are suspect. The only words I trust are now yours,” Alisha nodded before she hopped to other side as well. Rose was quick to help Alisha keep her footing by grabbing onto her hand, letting go of it right afterwards  
  
Rose’s lips curled up into a smile as she heard Alisha’s compliment. “Aaw, shucks, don’t you get me all flustered now. But...thanks, I suppose. It’s good to know when someone has your back, isn’t it? At least, _I_ feel a lot more calm when I’m surrounded by people that I can trust my life with. Be it Sparrowfeathers, Sorey and the others or...you.” Rose grinned.  
  
With her hands resting behind her head, Rose turned her head to look at Alisha over her shoulder. “You know, you don’t really dress up like the knights I’ve seen over the years, but you sure know how to fight. I guess it’s a good thing that you’re more of a woman of action than just mere words.”  
  
“I cannot stand—ah, abide by the time-honored traditions followed by many nobles across many kingdoms. Fueling petty arguments and grudges, accepting bribes to look the other way, eagerly waiting to be given away in marriage to a complete stranger. The last thing I want is to do…is be helpless. Useless. Inert.”  
  
“Admittedly, seeing someone like you just sitting down...nah, I can’t even begin to imagine it. Don’t take it the wrong way, I mean that’s a good thing, if you ask me,” Rose coughed. Stopping for a moment, she let Alisha catch up to her before continuing: “I mean, Hyland needs someone like you to be in charge of things. Someone who doesn’t try to go into pointless wars, but is willing to fight and get their hands dirty if needed. A strong person like you is what this world needs in order to be healed.”  
  
“Thank you. I will certainly do my best to live up to everyone’s expectations. For the time, I am gladdened by your encouragement and…and your support. It means much to me.” Alisha said. Even in the somewhat dim passages of the aqueduct, Rose could see Alisha’s smile. With the bad blood out of the way, it was a lot easier being honest to one another.  
  
Rose was good at reading people thanks to her many years of being a merchant, but Alisha was someone she couldn’t read easily, not even after getting to truly know her. Normally she was quick to catch on what was a person’s motive, yet  Alisha was another case entirely. Was Alisha just complimenting her or was this her way of trying to throw in a playful flirt to the mix to test the waters? The nature of Alisha’s feelings had puzzled her for a while, though recently Rose had started to sense…well, _something_ between them.  
  
Now wasn’t the time or the place to bring up a topic like that. Shaking her head as if to wake herself up, Rose pushed those thoughts into back of her head in order to focus on why they were there in the first place.  
  
“Well, someone has to be there for you right? Especially with that—Maltran gone, and, uh…” Rose bit her lower lip, realizing that bringing up her probably wasn’t a very good idea.  
  
“It’s all right, Rose. I know you mean well.” Alisha let out a quiet sigh. “It’s true the death of Lady Maltran was...difficult for me, but I’ve made my peace with the matter. In order to reach my goals, I have to let go of the past and move on. I had to face what she did, to me, to my country, to humanity. Whatever good came of my relationship with her, ultimately, I cannot ignore her terrible acts…”  She swallows hard and holds her hands together, clasping, releasing, re-clasping, yet confidently holding on to Rose’s gaze. “Ah, I mean, just as you’ve said, a person should surround themselves with people they can truly trust.”  
  
“Man, you gotta know you’re bad when you’d take a questionable person like me over a well-respected—well, formerly well-respected knight.” Rose smirked back at Alisha.  
  
“You _are_ worthy of trust, Rose. A crime doesn’t necessarily paint the whole portrait of a person.”  
  
“Maybe that’s the same for our bad guys. Who knows? No need to be so serious all the time, though,” Rose chided, despite the fact that they were striding right into enemy territory at this point. She began examining the walls more rigorously for the telltale signs of traps: the glimmer of strings, inconspicuous metal pieces that didn’t belong upon closer inspection, oil or another other chemicals.  
  
Whenever they reached a corner, Rose gestured the princess behind her to stay still, as she made sure there were no enemies waiting to ambush them. They weren’t expecting anyone to be foolish enough to make their way into the aqueducts in the first place, but Rose knew that it was wise to be prepared even for an unlikely outcome.  
  
Rose’s trained ears were good at picking up irregularities, even in midst of loud noises. The more she got used to streams of water all around the aqueduct, the more she was acquainted to it. Now though, she could hear something new. A sound of someone other than herself or Alisha. Turning to look at Alisha, Rose hand signaled her to be quiet, then silently urged her to follow. Crouching their way towards a shaded corner, the two pushed their backs against a small cover.  
  
Lifting up her head ever so slightly, Rose saw a group of people counting something. Judging by the bags filled with something shiny inside of them, she knew that it was the loot they were after, or at least part of it. Rose wasn’t the only one observing the scene, as Alisha was quick to join her.  
  
“This is a pretty good haul, I must say. I’m sure the boss will reward us properly for the really shiny shit,” one of the thieves commented while admiring the ancient relics thrown in the center of their circle. After marking off something on a paper, the speaker tossed the statue he held (the style dating it to the Tempest of Avarost, Alisha mentally noted) onto the pile. It burned her to see their lack of regard to the historical value of many of the pieces they stole, scattered on the ground, some cracked, some even _broken_. She would be sure to remember this when their trial came up.  
  
“Yeah, this should get us plenty of new soldiers. Good thing that war left many families and soldiers needy,” another voice laughed.  
  
Rose spotted Alisha tightening grip of her spear. Seeing people exploit war like this was something Rose herself condemned as well, but to a ruler, especially to someone as caring and dedicated as Alisha, it was simply too much. Rose reached out for Alisha’s gloved hand, calming her down while helping Alisha to lower her weapon.  
  
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist just yet, Alisha. We’ll get them, but before we do that, we should let them lead us into their hideout. Doesn’t that sound like a better plan than what I _know_ you’re thinking of right now?” Rose whispered.  
  
Alisha hated to admit it, but Rose was right. Hasty decisions made in anger would only end up with poor results, so for now it was for the best for Alisha to swallow her pride and anger. Taking a deep breath, Alisha slowly opened up her eyes, this time visibly much calmer.  
  
“You’re right,” Alisha nodded before lifting up her head again to see what the thieves were up to.  
  
The whole area was relatively dark, with only few torches here and there to keep the place lit. For Rose and Alisha it meant that they could safely spy on the thieves, as they could barely be seen, even if they’d turn to look at their direction.  
  
“We’re up next to turn in the loot, the last group when in, like, half an hour ago, right?” One of the thieves asked.  
  
“Yeah, we’ve sorted all the really valuable shit.” To emphasize his point, the responder kicked aside a pot (“ _That might even from the Era of the Gods!”_ Alisha screamed inside) that seemed to hold little value. “Let’s gather it all up and bring it in.”  
  
Soon, the thieves disbanded their circle, delicately handling the more expensive-looking things while tossing everything else haphazardly into spare bags. After waiting for enough distance, Rose indicated Alisha should follow her.  
  
The duo tailed the thieves, carefully avoiding pools of water or anything that’d expose them. Rose in particular was good at using shadows to her aid, but to her surprise, Alisha knew her way around being light footed as well. _“Perhaps she had sneaked around the royal castle before,”_ Rose pondered, while admiring just how nimble the princess was.  
  
*  
  
It didn’t take long for the thieves to make their way to where they were headed, with no idea of the company tagging along right behind them. Entering a hallway with differently-styled walls, the thieves were greeted by a person wearing a hooded robe. Even though the area was much better lit than most of the aqueduct, it was still dark enough for Rose and Alisha to sneak in, observing the scenery from shadows.  
  
“You’re the last group. Your haul...looks rather promising, given how many of you there were,” The hooded person said as they wrote something down. “In you go, then.” The person pointed at a separate building behind them with guards watching the large white doors. A few of the rogues flitted through the entrance with their tributes, and reappeared moments later without those bags.  
  
“That must be where their leader is. Yet...seems like this isn’t just a regular group of thieves we’ve come across. I mean, look,” Rose pointed at guards patrolling around the area. Their tabards and armors were identical to the ones Hyland’s soldiers used.  
  
“It is unacceptable that so many soldiers are willing to put aside their oath and duty for personal material gain. The welfare of our nation and its people largely depends on them, yet…yet they…” Alisha grunted, closing her eyes for a moment to push aside her personal feelings. After everything that had happened, after everything Sorey had done to give the world a chance to recover from the rampaging war and malevolence, there were still people foolish enough to do something like this.  
  
“I know that this must be hard for you, princess,” Rose said, placing a hand on Alisha’s shoulder. Gazing into Alisha’s shiny eyes—was she about to cry again?—Rose leaned in close. "We’re gonna get to the bottom of this whole mess. Have a little faith in…us. By ourselves, we’re awesome, but together, we’re…friggin’ awesome, so c’mon, chin up. That look doesn’t suit you at all.” She winked and ruffled Alisha’s hair, almost letting out a giggle at the sight of Alisha’s prominent curl bounce.  
  
“R-Rose…” Alisha said, feeling herself both relieved and flustered at same time. It was odd how someone so carefree like Rose could be the Shepherd, yet at same time, it was only fitting that someone who makes others feel at ease could and would be responsible for healing the world.  
  
There was something about Rose that made it impossible for Alisha to stay sad for too long. Perhaps it was her confidence, or maybe it was because for once Alisha felt like she had a friend who she could truly trust with anything that troubled her. Without realizing it, Alisha was smiling, widely enough for even her dimples to form up.  
  
“Much better,” The red haired girl grinned. “Hey look, it seems like those thugs we followed are done with their briefing. Guess the big show is about to start,” Rose whispered.  
  
“Then we shall hear their true intentions,” Alisha whispered back as she joined up with Rose right after wiping her eyes clean.  
  
The more Alisha looked at the guards, the more she noticed something strange about their behavior. Even the guards at royal palace weren’t this good at keeping their posture perfect for this duration, especially when there wasn’t a formal event to encourage them to stand straight for longer than usual. As she wore a modified version of Hyland’s armor, Alisha knew how difficult it was to maintain that stance.  
  
"This is odd," Alisha declared, pointing at some of the guards while they and the thieves were arranging themselves into predetermined positions. "A clandestine meeting wouldn’t demand such ceremony, yet they are so…rigid. No, that’s not quite right. They are so…so…" Alisha tapped her chin for a moment.  
  
“Stern?” Rose asked.  
  
“I suppose that’s one word for it. I’m more concerned about the…emotion, the mood in the room. They are conducting themselves with such serious vigor. They must…believe in this cause of theirs, or something—something worse."  
  
“Worse? What could be worse than a fanatic on the wrong side? Or, just a fanatic in general?"  
  
“I cannot be certain at this moment… But it seems their motivation is not fueled by money alone." Alisha eyed the guards patrolling the perimeter.  
  
“Well, now that you’ve mentioned it, it’s pretty hinky. I mean, I’ve seen my fair share of guards and even the really dedicated ones slack a bit now and then." Rose couldn’t dismiss Alisha’s discovery, as now she was seeing it too how all the guards were behaving as if all the eyes were on them. Everyone of them was gripping onto their weapons tightly, their armors barely moving as they stared at the central area and a platform positioned in middle of it. “Sooo…what are you suggesting then?”  
  
“I’m…I’m afraid I’m not sure what I am suggesting. All I can say for sure is what we don’t know. Their true motivations…or their endgame."  
  
“Well, it’s good to know what you don’t. I’m sure a dead sage said that," Rose replied. This sort of behavior wasn’t something normal gang of criminals would resort to, that much was for certain. Even the thieves had a rather fixated look on their faces as they were eagerly waiting for something. Just what was going on, neither knew, but soon, Rose and Alisha would have some kind of answer.  
  
“Now that everyone is here and the relics has been gathered, we can finally begin,” the hooded person announced. The platform was clearly reserved for someone else, as despite talking to the entire hallway of people, the person avoided stepping onto it.  
  
“Without further ado, let’s hear it for our great leader, Lady Maltran!” As he spoke, he and the rest of the audience bowed down as those white doors reopened.  
  
“Wha—!” Alisha gasped, her eyes flashing open as she heard the name of her deceased mentor. Rose was quick to react, muffling Alisha by pushing her gloved hand right up against her mouth. Thanks to the roaring applauses, no one paid attention to Alisha’s brief gasp.  
  
Sporting an elegant attire that mingled battle armor and high fashion, Lady Maltran looked exactly the same as before: a statuesque figure with a wide smile betrayed by her cold, calculating gaze. Despite her relaxed posture, she kept a death grip on her weapon as she sauntered to the waiting platform. Every guard and thief looked at her, and her alone.  
  
“We’ve all gathered here today to celebrate start of a new era, a revolution,” Maltran declared. She waited for a moment, basking in the sea of cheers and applauses.  
  
After feeling Alisha’s mouth stop moving under her hand, Rose removed it. “I know it’s hard, but can you be quiet? We have to listen to what she’s got to say,” she murmured.  
  
She didn’t want to be cold; she wanted to comfort her friend, yet at the same time it was important for both of them to focus on the current scene unfolding before them. To let her friend know she was there for her support, Rose put her hand on Alisha’s shoulder in hopes of calming her down, but she didn’t expect what happened next.  
  
“That’s her voice, too… H-How…how is this even possible? I-I saw her die with my own eyes…I—I,” Alisha felt her heart racing, her chest closing in on itself. She had gotten over Maltran’s death, twice, yet by some twist of fate she was back once more.  
  
“Alisha. Alisha!” Rose hissed as loud as she dared and shook the princess, whose body seized up in her grip.  
  
Alisha’s eyes bulged outwards, a stray tear or two mingling with the sweat that had formed on her face in the last thirty seconds. She didn’t cry out again, but she started to gulp huge amounts of air, a woman drowning in her own despair, struggling to remain upright.  
  
A second sharp shake did nothing to snap Alisha out of her state, so Rose pressed her forehead to Alisha’s, hard, and insisted, “Breathe, dammit."  
  
Alisha held her breath for a moment to hear Rose’s demands over her rapid and painful gasps.  
  
“No, that’s the exact opposite of what I asked for. Breathe, slowly, but you gotta breathe.”  
  
It felt like forever for both girls, for Rose to calm Alisha with the simplest of tasks; for Alisha to listen and heed Rose’s advice. But to survive, they needed to be able to do the two most important things to human survival: breathing, and working together. Their extended breathing exercise was hidden by the continuous cheer of the crowd for their great leader, as Ma concluded whatever deluded speech she had with words of provocation.  
  
“You all know the rulers of Hyland have gone soft and weak as they try to reason with our enemy. Hyland, which is superior and deserves to rule over the Rolance Empire, is but a laughingstock as our leaders bow down for the sake of a fragile, pointless peace. We all here know that’s a path that will ultimately leave Hyland into ruins. The Empire is nothing more than bunch of bloodsucking dogs who want to use us and gain from us!”  
  
The crowd enthusiastically agreed with Maltran, as the cheers and yells were now even louder than before.  
  
“But we will not allow that to happen. We’ve planned this operation for many years, should Hyland fail at conquering Rolance. We’re the men and women who will push our kingdom to its rightful place. We will not let anyone stand in our way!” Lady Maltran raised her spear up in the air with everyone of her followers soon joining in the gesture.  
  
By this point, Alisha had managed to relax her tightened muscles, her chest expanding slowly to inhale and exhale as Rose had instructed, her heartbeat (of which she was _so sure_ they heard, thunderous as it sounded pounding inside herself, in her own ears) falling to a safe, comfortable level. Alisha still felt slightly lightheaded and nauseous, but the worst had passed...quickly replaced by a sinking feeling in her stomach when she registered what Maltran wanted.  
  
Alisha jerked her head away from Rose’s, all business once again. “Rose. Thank you for your assistance,” she whispered.  
  
“Ah, don’t mention it.” Rose savored the point of contact, as sweaty and slippery as it was, and rubbed the damp patch on her forehead.  
  
“More importantly, this is utter madness! They’re trying to guide Hyland back to the warpath… We can’t afford that…” Alisha observed Rose’s face crinkle up into a puzzled look that was surely mirrored on her own face.  
  
“So it seems. Hard to believe that there are still people who’re eager to wage yet another war, but I guess to quote Edna; there’s no end to stupidity of humans.”  Rose said, mimicking the way earth seraph often spoke.  
  
“We must leave now, Rose. There are simply too many of them. We must warn the council about this plot,” Alisha said as she grabbed onto her weapon, looking at the way they had came over her shoulder.  
  
“Yeah. It’s gonna be hard as hell now that there’s so many of ’em…but if we just stay here, we’ll be caught for sure,” Rose bit her lower lip, while she tried to think of the best scenario for their escape. “I say that we just gotta wing it. Can’t think of a better plan, sadly.”  
  
Alisha redoubled her hold on her spear. “Better now than never.”  
  
Rose was the one leading the duo back to the surface. With years of expertise in hiding under her belt, she knew how to make best of even a tight situation like this. Waiting for a moment when the crowd was exceptionally loud and excited, she grabbed a hold of Alisha’s wrist, pulling her with her as they started to crouch their way towards safety.  
  
“Hey, who’s there?!” Both girls froze momentarily, hairs standing on end as the murmurs rippled through the crowd. It didn’t take long for the rest of them to notice that they had some unwanted guests among them.  
  
“Fuck!” Rose cursed. “Run!”  
  
Maltran commanded, “Darcy, take your men and get them! The rest will secure the loot and escape!”  
  
She then turned her attention to her former pupil and her roguish companion, speaking in a measured tone that nevertheless carried across the vast hall. “Poor, foolish Alisha... You’ve deluded yourself, haven’t you? You believe you can change, that you can change things. It’s far too late for that. This has been in the works for a very, very long time. You’re still the same small, weak little girl that I knew.”  
  
“Lady Malt—” Alisha glanced over her shoulder to take look at her mentor, but Rose jerked her arm, drawing Alisha’s attention back to her.  
  
“Hey, don’t look back now, okay? Literally. And also figuratively, but," Rose panted. "If you hesitate now, we’re screwed, you hear me?” She didn’t have to look back to realize just how many people were after them. The sound of footsteps echoed within the passageways, especially of those who wore heavy sets of armor. Judging by that sound alone, Rose estimated that they had at least half a dozen of Maltran’s minions in hot pursuit.  
  
"Of course," Alisha caught up and now ran side-by-side with Rose, "You’re right. I just, still can’t believe she was behind this scheme. It doesn’t make any sense, starting with the fact that the dead cannot return to life. I wish—I wish I could ask—interrogate her!"  
  
“I feel you, but, run now, talk later!”  
  
Despite not being in the aqueducts before this trip, Rose already memorized their route perfectly. The years spent as a merchant traveling all around the world made it easy for her to recall the path they had taken, a map drawn clearly in her mind’s eye, looking for the subtle visual cues that marked their trail. She recognized a slightly damaged lantern hanging on the wall from before, remembering how there was a jump just before it.  
  
“We have to jump! Get ready!” Rose instructed as they turned around a corner. The sound of streams was as strong as ever as the water continued coursing below. The tiles were still slippery, but they had no time to waste.  
  
Rose was the first one to make a jump for it as she dashed towards the gap, leaping over it with ease. Her jump had been graceful, though she landed squarely on her behind. Turning to look at Alisha, Rose saw the princess following her example, with one notable exception.  
  
As Alisha was in the air, she didn’t even try to land properly as she instead focused her attention onto her spear. Letting out a battle cry to give her attack the needed strength, Alisha jammed her spear blade against the stone, shattering it into tiny pieces that crumbled into the stream.  
  
Realizing just what Alisha had done, Rose couldn’t help but to feel proud of Alisha and her quick thinking.  
  
“Nice going, Alisha!” Rose smiled while struggling for a moment to get back on her feet.This time  Alisha reached out with her hand; Rose didn’t hesitate to take it.  
  
“This way, they won’t be able to get across from here. This should buy us enough time to escape.” Alisha smiled as she glanced at the stones falling into the raging stream.  
  
“I bet!” Rose cleaned the dust off her clothes. “Let’s not waste that time you brought us.”  
  
*  
  
After being inside aqueduct for hours, the fresh air was very welcomed. Day had turned to night while they had been underground. The area around was completely barren, which in Alisha’s mind was a good thing. At least now she didn’t have to answer any questions as to why she was there, let alone with the Shepherd of all people.  
  
“I’m afraid that we have to wait until tomorrow to inform the council. They will have retired for the night… And it’s unlikely they will act immediately on our information. I think they will be in disbelief, to consider such a plot brewing for so long, as La—ah, as Maltran claimed…” Alisha stretched her arms overhead, then reached for her toes.  
  
“Yeah, she did say something like that. Wish she had been more specific, but." Rose waited until Alisha had finished her cooldown. “I’m wondering if those guys will even believe you.”  
  
Alisha laughed lightly, but stopped short when she saw Rose’s grim expression. “What? Why wouldn’t they believe me?”  
  
“Uh, for starters? You and the council aren’t really on the best of terms. Second, Lady Maltran is like, a hero to Hyland, right?. Only a handful know what she was _really_ up to. And even if she looked like a hellion, which she  by the way, doesn’t, she’d appear to be human to everyone else. If she returned, they might just give her a hero’s welcome, maybe even with no questions asked. That might be part of her plan, actually.” Rose cracked her knuckles before concluding, “To the masses, she’s a badass, hot war vet who inspires the people of Hyland, even though she’s not around anymore…imagine if she came back during times like these.”  
  
Alisha hated to admit it, but Rose’s scenario aligned perfectly with her past confrontations with the council, as well as present-day commentary about Maltran. Lady Maltran had always led Hyland’s soldiers to glory. With few living legends still alive, she had been one who had kept the people inspired when the Age of Chaos had started. If she were to make a return, the people were likely to be blind to her true nature, with the council quick to follow.  
  
“It’s true that Maltran was a hero to our nation. But after everything that happened, the council must believe us. We have evidence.”  
  
“Yes, we have basically a piece of paper to back us up,” Rose threw her hands up. “You know better than me they’d laugh their asses off before going off to powder their noses, or whatever. We could go back there, but I don’t think they’ll leave any evidence worth sharing. They know someone important has their attention—that’s you, by the way—so they’ll be sure to clean up more thoroughly this time.” It was supposed to be just a run-of-the-mill thief-catching; they had discovered definitely more than just few crooks trying to earn some extra gald.  
  
“Curses!” Alisha cried out as she threw her hat on the ground.  
  
“Hey, easy with the c-word,” Rose snickered as she was quite amused to see Alisha losing her temper, only to curse like a villain from a children’s book.  
  
“I’m just tired, Rose. Of all of this. I could go a whole day or two without thinking of her and now… I have no choice but to…deal with her, again. How—why does this keep happening?” Alisha leaned up against a nearby wall and closed her eyes. Slowly falling down, she put her hands around her legs and rested her head up against her knees.  
  
“Uh,” Rose started awkwardly, clearing her throat. “I’m not sure if this helps, but I’m here ’til the bitter end. You don’t have to deal with this alone. You can cry if you want and I’ll offer my shoulder instead of, uh, laughing." She knelt in front of Alisha, putting her hands on the princess’s shoulders before pulling Alisha closer.  
  
“Thank you, Rose…” Alisha whispered while resting her face against the front of Rose’s shoulder.  
  
“You’re welcome.” Rose patted Alisha on side of her head. She waited until Alisha had pulled herself together before asking, “What do we do now, though? You’re the smart one, so I bet you already have some sort of plan in that smart head of yours, right?”  
  
“I’m not entirely sure just yet. But there are some councilmen who will believe my words. I have made some allies at court; we should reach out to them first. Maltran knows we know of their plot, so they may already be at risk. If they should fall, nobody with enough influence or power would be suspicious of her return.”  
  
“Right. So tomorrow morning, we’ll head to the palace and convince those council members that you think will trust you?”  
  
“That’s the plan. Hopefully they will be inclined to listen.”  
  
Rose considered the flaws in Alisha’s plan—it was laughably simple and straightforward, the complete opposite of dealings with politics. The guards around the palace were everywhere; their allegiance couldn’t be examined from quick glance, and they didn’t have the time to investigate each and every knight, as Alisha wanted.  
  
But she really couldn’t think of an alternative at this very moment. Alisha’s instincts were telling her there were at least a few council members who were loyal to Hyland, and as Alisha spent more time navigating the web of political intrigue of Hyland than Rose did, she figured she’d trust Alisha on that matter. Rose herself had always followed her gut instincts too, so she had no reason to doubt Alisha’s either.  
  
“All righty, sounds good enough for me. Ready to go back to your place? I’d kill for a good bath.” Rose hopped back to her feet and extended a hand.  
  
“Yes, yes, I am.” Alisha gratefully accepted Rose’s help, their combined effort pulling Alisha back to standing.  
  
The deserted streets allowed Rose to pick even the faintest of sounds. Her ears twitched involuntarily as she heard footsteps pounding on the ground a few blocks away. The rapid cadence and increasing volume told her this person was running—running towards the two of them. This person—no, there was now a second pair following the first.  A third pair, possibly even more.  
  
Rose jerked to a stop and yelled in warning, “Crap, they’ve caught up!” She yanked out her daggers and twirled them in her hands as she scanned the area.  
  
Alisha shifted into a battle stance, her body turned to the side as she looked down the blade of her lance, facing forward. She moved into a more defensive position, back-to-back against Rose, making sure they had no blind spots. They couldn’t flee now, but at least the ambush wasn’t successful either.  
  
“There they are!” A voice came from above before the speaker hopped gracefully from rooftop to rooftop, landing a few meters in front of the two girls. The other chasers followed him as well.  
  
“Let’s do this, Rose!” Alisha tightened her grip on her spear as she looked at the leader of the pack—Darcy, she presumed, Maltran’s apparent attack dog. He wore thick leather armor and a hood that hid his gaze, as well as a mask carved in the shape of long fangs over his mouth. Curved, sharpened metal ran up his gauntlets, guaranteeing anyone lucky or skilled enough to catch this man would suffer a few heavy lacerations. Darcy’s minions also wore similar armor and face masks, but no hoods. They fanned out to flank the Alisha and Rose in a circle, armed with a variety of weapons.  
  
“You got it!” Rose allowed herself to grin at Alisha, normally a fatal mistake to take one’s eyes off the enemy. She spun her blades again before dashing towards her first opponent. Rose’s style and choice of armament didn’t allow for many chances to be on the defensive, and she always believed the best defense was a good offense. Why give the enemy a chance to kill you when you could kill them first?  
  
Alisha had to settle for blocking attacks from multiple directions, with both the blade and the handle of her spear. The impact of Darcy’s arm blade against her guard actually pushed her back, but she remained solidly upright, even when two other assassins struck in concert with their leader.  
  
“I’ll forgive this transgression of striking at a member of the Royal Family,” Alisha spoke with a gentle tone but steady, sure cadence. “There’s still a chance for you to atone for your crimes. Surrender, and I shall personally ensure your fair treatment and trial. There’s been enough blood spilled over senseless battles.”  
  
“Sorry, Ali—Ali, right, can I call you that? Does anyone else call you that? Words don’t mean much unless they’re backed up by actions.” Alisha was startled by Darcy’s carefree voice, even in the midst of attempting murder. “But your words might make that happen, so we can’t have you or your Shep blabbing about what you just saw.” He threw another jab, but it was just a warning blow. “Nothing personal, but you gotta go.”  
  
As casual as his words were, Alisha could see the glint in his eyes. He couldn’t mask his dedication to Maltran’s underground movement. He truly believed in his cause, and to Alisha, that sealed his unfortunate fate.  
  
Though Alisha could tell this man had seen more combat that she had, she had an advantage. She could keep him at bay with the superior length of her weapon, while he had to get dangerously close to execute any meaningful attack—provided he didn’t hide some throwing daggers in his sleeves or boots, something Rose liked to do sometimes.

Jumping high up, Darcy lunged once again; Alisha answered with a parry and pushed him away with the side of her spear. Now in a relatively safe position, she tried appealing to him once more; in the back of her mind, her attempts were futile and she should give up. But she had to try everything in her power to save her people, even ones like him. Everyone deserved a few chances. Yet Alisha’s voice was more frustrated and desperate than she meant to sound.  
  
“You’re being controlled by Lady Maltran! Don’t you see what she’s doing? She’s using you! She will destroy our homeland by starting another war with the empire! She’s pitting you against your own countrymen! Do you think that will save Hyland?!” Alisha thrust her lance to point towards her foe’s chest.  
  
“Give it up, Alisha!” Rose’s voice came from behind her. “There’s no reasoning with people like these. We have to put them down! They’re not going to stop before we’re dead!”  
  
It pained Alisha to admit that Rose was probably right. Alisha had been on enough battlefields and diplomatic meetings to know difference between a person that could be reasoned with and one that had clearly made up their mind.  
  
Now Darcy was circling Alisha, looking for an opening. “Your sweetheart is right, Ali,” he cooly told the princess. “Sacrifices have to made. That’s true for both sides of our fight, isn’t it?”  
  
While he spoke, Alisha took that opportunity to check on Rose, who was in a more frantic, heated fight than Alisha's careful duel with the assassin leader. Rose had gathered all the other opponents, including the two that had made an initial attack with their leader on Alisha, and was battling them all.  If Alisha's battle was like chess, each step carefully considered, Rose's battle was as if the board was upended and each side just pelted the other with the pieces.  
  
There had been five opponents, but two lay on the ground, their throats opened to the ground, painting the stones bright red. Two assassins still danced around Rose, throwing chains and sword slashes her way. Even with the superior reach, Rose evaded their attacks gracefully—their multiple strikes seemed hamper more than help them. When one swung a great sword at her, she actually landed on top of the blade and launched herself at the swordsman, dropping on him in a flurry of dagger stabs.  
  
“You should have listened to her,” Rose snarled. “I like to resort to violence faster than she does. She gave you more than enough chances. Doesn’t matter to me what you choose, but you won’t be killing us today. Or tomorrow.” Her opponent guarded one of her hits with the hilt of his blade, but that caused him to flinch enough for Rose to jab him in the eye. “There’s no tomorrow for any of you!”    
  
He was still alive when he fell to his knees and Rose grabbed his hair, looking him right in the eye. Both knew this wasn’t anything personal. “May these weary bones find peaceful rest.” She slit his throat.  
  
At this moment, one of his allies punched through her torso with his chained hook, deeply piercing Rose’s shin. The pain was secondary to her panic. “Shit,” Rose spat while darting back, wiping the blood sprayed on her face.  
  
“Better step up my game,” Darcy told Alisha. But he was angry at the loss of his comrades, and she could feel it. His kicks and punches were more punishing than previously, pushing her back more and more with each successful hit, yet at same time, they started to lack aim as well.  
  
Alisha cried out, “You said nothing personal, right? Then let us talk! There’s no reason for _us_ to fight! We didn’t want to do this! I don’t want to kill my countrymen! So, stop! Stop, already!”  
  
When Darcy charged at her again, Alisha was startled when a chained blade sliced his chest, distracting him. Out of the corner of her eye, Alisha saw Rose, holding the lifeless body of her last opponent, her chain used against her master by Rose. Battle instincts taking over, Alisha knew this was the time to strike her opponent. Her spear blade impaled his chest, but he still pushed through it, blood slicking the handle, doing little to slow him down.  
  
He stopped right in front of her, even though he could have scored a hit or two. Maybe even a fatal one. Maybe he was waiting for dramatic effect. He seemed like that kind of guy. He took off his mask to address her.  
  
“Princess, you’re not…helping, your people,” Darcy croaked. “You can’t protect us from our real enemy… You’re…too weak.” He shook his head, a few short spurts of blood pulsing from his wound. “I mean—hrrk—no offense.”  
  
Rose took her time, limping over, dragging her injured leg. It’s not like this guy was going anywhere. When she reached him, she said, for Alisha’s sake more than anyone else’s, "This is kinder." He was almost dead, but this _would_ be kinder for him as well.  
  
She exposed the assassin leader’s throat. “May these weary bones find peaceful rest,” she chanted. She drew her blade, deep and clean, across his throat, the blood spattering all over Rose and Alisha.  
  
Even if he was being tricked by Maltran, he and his allies chose to follow her. Even if they didn’t, couldn’t realize the bigger picture—that Maltran was a hellion—they willingly raised their weapons against their countrymen and planned to do so again. But judging from their accents and the make of their armaments, these were Alisha’s countrymen, too. The people she had sworn to protect, lying dead before her feet, thanks to her and Rose.  
  
“Sorry,” Rose woke Alisha back to reality. “You okay?” While asking, Rose tied her handkerchief around her leg, already stained deep crimson, but it stopped her from bleeding dry, for now.  
  
“I…I am. Thank you. I shouldn’t have hesitated like that…”  Alisha looked at the carnage on the road, limbs splayed and bloodstained.  
  
“You gotta get used to this, if you’re gonna be a knight and protect people. It’s part of the job description, I’m afraid.”  
  
“I—I know.” Alisha panted.  
  
“Hey…” Rose flicked one dagger, droplets of blood splattering on the ground. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, I wasn’t trying to lecture you or anything. It’s natural. People aren’t made to kill. You have to train for it. I know you wanted to protect these people—I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that lady around the markets here before, she’s a local and these people all might be, too. But they made their choice. And we’ve made ours. And they don’t…get along,” she finished, subdued.  
  
“Yes. You’re right, but…” Alisha lamented, “I can’t protect someone who doesn’t want to be protected. And I won’t back down from this, from protecting my homeland. And…” She hesitated. “And you said you’d be here with me. You…you meant that, right, Rose?”  
  
Rose answered with a tight hug. No funny comments, no snide remarks, no teasing jabs. Rose knew that Alisha needed her now, more than ever before. She had been through a lot, lost so much in such short span of time. What she needed now more than ever was a friend, someone who she could trust, someone to listen to her worries. Rose wanted to be that person for her; she couldn’t see Alisha like this, still delusional that no one cared about her.  
  
“You really think I’m _that_ insincere? Come on. I said I’d stick around, and I will. We’re gonna get to the bottom of this. We’ve all got your back. Me, Lailah, Zaveid, Mickey, Edna… Hell, even Sergei will be on your side, and he’s from your ol’ enemy’s army. And Sorey, wherever that loser is off to now. You won’t be alone, that much I can say.”  
  
“…Thank you, Rose. Thank you.”  
  
After those words, Alisha kept her grip around Rose, letting the silence linger, enjoying a comfort that she so rarely felt these days. Just when everything had started to make sense once more, it had all come crashing down. Maltran’s death, the war that almost tore the world apart, Sorey’s sacrifice, they were all things that Alisha was still dealing with to this day. She couldn’t bear this burden alone, not anymore.  
  
Remembering Maltran’s words from the past, Alisha recalled how she had told her to surround herself with people she could truly trust. Once that person had been Maltran herself, but no more. Sorey had been great friend and an inspiration, yet now he was gone as well.  
  
Yet Rose, persistent as ever, was still there for her, even if her duties as the Shepherd were most certainly more important than Alisha’s troubles. Even before discovering that the plot was bigger than the two could have realized, she had been there for her, insisting to help her settle it.  
  
“How about we head back to your mansion now like we planned before?” Rose’s voice broke the quiet, as she ended their prolonged embrace. She grimaced as she stood straight, favoring her left leg; she managed to start off at a decent pace, Alisha walking by her side. “We can stop at a guard post on the way and ask them to…ah, clean up.”  
  
“Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea. I know this is a matter normally dealt with immediately, but I, for once, would like to leave it to someone else, and just rest for the night.” Alisha smiled back at Rose, glancing over her shoulder one last time before the two took their leave. “Let’s go.”  
  
_“I’m not alone._ ” Alisha thought as she glanced at the red-haired woman walking beside her. “ _Nor will I ever be.”_

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me at tumblr http://lordofspiritsandbazongas.tumblr.com/ If you have ideas, suggestions, feedback, comment, anything like that, feel free to contact me.


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